What a girl wants
by Moonphase
Summary: AU- King Toya is out travelling when a monster tells him to solve a riddle or die. The riddle is,  what does a woman truly want?


Back in the ancient times of Lore, men would slay dragons, fight demons and evil warlords. Then they would claim their prize, a beautiful woman to serve and please them.

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Once upon a time, King Toya was out hunting in the forest with his Knights; Spinel, Watanuki, Yuki, Syaoran, Kurogane, Eriol, Domeki and Fai. As they ventured further in, the trees became increasingly twisted and old and decrepit. They saw that the ground had become hard and grey and all vegetation was dying.

"It is summer, isn't it my Lord?" asked one companion, Sir Spinel, to his King. "But here one would think it was the most vile and cruel time of winter. This place must be cursed."

"I hear witches roam this land," said another, Sir Yuki, "we should go back!"

The King quickly agreed. The men turned their horses around, the hunting expedition abandoned, and started to return home.

Yet somehow within minutes King Toya looked around to find himself alone. He called to his men wondering how they could have vanished and fearing for their safety, but none responded to his hails.

He continued to walk home, as darkness set about him, but found his way blocked by a monstrous knight who was taller and broader than any normal man; whose only facial feature Toya could make out were a pair of closely set, blood red eyes; of a knight clad in all black armour covered in spikes and scented with blood.

"Well how do you do king Toya?" said the big man, scathing sarcasm dripping from his words, "many years you have done me great harm, and now you will meet your death!"

Toya frowned in confusion, "certainly I have never met you Sir," he argued back. "My Kingdom has not waged any wars or battles for over a lifetime and I do not recall making any decisions of late that would have harmed anyone. Besides, I am unarmed. I have been out on a hunting trip; I am not prepared for a battle. I have no sword. It would be dishonourable for you to kill me for no reason that I know of. "

The giant was silent, and Toya saw that the red eyes burned fiercely with indecision. "What is your name?" the King asked, desperate to find out how he could have enraged a stranger so badly.

The knight replied, "My name is Gromer Somer Joure," but that name meant nothing to the young King; he still had no idea who this knight was.

It seemed that the Knight was a man of honour, because he told the king that he would not kill him, but rather that the King had to return the following month on exactly the same day with the answer to a riddle.

"Answer correctly," the giant said, "and I shall spare your life. Pray, tell me: What is it that a woman most desires in all the world?"

Toya, feeling forced and trapped, agreed to the strange arrangement. As he did the flowers and grass and live trees reappeared; the atmosphere warmed with the natural aroma and heat of a dying summer's day; the animals and bids could be heard once more. Toya looked out to see his men looking panicked and nervous, their horses feeling their tension and pawing anxiously at the ground.

"What happened sir?" cried Yuki.

"I'm not fully sure" he replied in all honesty, "but I have to return in a month's time and I shall need help in solving a riddle in the meantime."

That evening, Toya told his men what had happened in full. At once many of his knight's rode out in different directions to the borders of the land to go ask women the question he was given.

Of course, they were given many answers. Some women said they wanted a good man; some said they wanted to be beautiful; some wanted to marry whomever they chose; some wanted to be truly loved; some wanted children; some wanted financial independence. Some said one thing, some said another.

Toya sat down with his chief adviser Tomoyo and they painstakingly went through the answers, tallying up which one was said the most. However, Toya felt uneasy with all the answers. He didn't think 'being pretty' or 'having a good man' would be what every woman wanted.

Tomoyo, feeling Toya's distress, finally said, "My liege, there is someone you can go to. But it is dangerous." He sighed and sat down. "I feel anxious about telling you of this being but I can't see what else we can do. There is a witch who lives in the centre of the Forbidden Woods. She may give the answer, but as you know, she'll want something in return."

Toya spoke of his plans to his most trusted Knight, friend and more, Yuki.

"I am against it," Yuki answered passionately, "I want you to be safe from the monstrous Knight, but I have heard many tales of this witch. Her name is Yuko and she is deeply revered and feared. Some of our people even think she is a goddess. And as you know, the gods and goddesses can be cruel and deceitful. Even if she saves you from the Knight, she may take your life as recompense."

After much debate, Toya agreed not to go to the witch, at least to calm the pale-eyed knight. But, the following morning, King Toya quietly got out of bed, dressed and left alone to the Woods of the Witch.

He found her far more quickly than expected and on expressing his surprise she told him that their meeting was a mere inevitability and that he had found her quickly because he'd wanted to find her.

"Tell me," she sighed, red eyes boring into his as she lounged obscenely in her sacred grove, looking drunk and wanton. "What is it that you desire?"

"The answer to a question; I was asked by a strange Knight, 'what is it that all women desire?' I do not know the answer, but my life depends on it."

"Come closer and I shall whisper it to you."

He did as she asked, his nose smelling strong herbs and liquor upon her. She whispered for a minute and then he drew back, a slight frown on his face.

"Is this the truth?" He asked and she nodded serenely a small smile on her face. "And now you shall want me to pay. What is your price Madame?"

"So brusque," she chided light heartedly. She sat up, her dress sliding apart and showing off long milky legs. He watched with disinterest. Women were not his choice of bedfellow. "I have a girl who needs marrying. She is lonely and unfortunate. I want one of your men to not only marry her, but to swear to treat her well."

Toya paled a little. He did not like the idea of dooming one of his men to marrying a girl they did not love. "Who is she?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

Yuko the Witch, now standing, motioned with her hand. Out of the darkness of the trees rode a hideous being on a horse. Her face was red, her nose snotted withal, her mouth was wide, her lips chapped with yellow, steadily browning teeth hanging other them, a long thick neck and a mismatched, disproportionate body.

As Toya gaped stupidly, the creature said, in a voice craggy and high pitched, "it is not any Knight that I wish to marry, but Sir Syaoran!"

"No!" cried the king at once, "that Knight has been through a lot of pain. He loved, still loves, a very special girl, but she is gone, dead since last winter. He is still in mourning; it is not fair for you to have him!"

"It can only be him!" Replied the creature brutally and uncaring.

"This is too high a price," he answered turning to an impassionate Yuko, "how do I know you are telling me the truth? What if you are wrong and the Knight strikes me down?"

Instead of Yuko, the hideous old creature replied, "I promise that if your life is not saved by our answer, this desire of mine will be in vain; but if my answer saves you, you will let me wed Syaoran. Choose now, and quickly, for it must be so, or you are dead!"

The king was greatly dismayed and replied that it was not for him to decide this, but Syaoran. And the lady replied, "Well, go home now and speak fair words to Sir Syaoran."

The king returned to the castle, and when he told unfortunate Syaoran of the lady's demand, Syaoran answered courteously that he would rather marry her than see Toya dead. "I have already lost one of your family, the one I loved more than anything or anyone else on this earth," he said, his eyes dark with misery, "you are the closest thing I have to her, the only person who is keeping peace in our land. I will marry the hag."

When the time was up, the King returned to where the Giant Knight had ordered him to, and he repeated what Yuko had told him. There was a long pause as the red eyes blazed down upon him. "Is that your final answer?" the monstrosity cried.

Clenching his teeth together, King Toya gave a curt nod.

"You have seen the witch, haven't you?" The Big Knight roared.

"You never stated that I could not ask for help." responded Toya in a tone more smooth and controlled than how he really felt. He separated his legs slightly, getting into a fighting stance.

However, the Knight conceded that the answer was correct and promptly vanished, leaving the King alive and the land beautiful once again. Toya took in a breath of air, feeling his constricted lungs release and the stress of the last few weeks finally seep from his muscles. "_But who was he?"_ the King thought to himself, _"why did he do all of that? Why did he hate me so much? Why did he play such games?" _

Suddenly he realised that with Yuko telling him the truth, that now he would have to follow his own promise. Syoaran had to marry the hag. He gulped feeling guilty. Should he have allowed himself to die instead?

When he collected the hag from Yuko, the witch fussed around the hideous creature as though she were a child. "Keep warm," the witch said, wrapping a scarf around the monsters neck and offering her a bottle of what looked like whiskey, "and good luck!"

The witch kissed the creatures head and waved at them as they rode away.

They rode in silence for a while before Toya asked, "what is your name?"

"They call me Dame Ayana."

"That's a very beautiful name," he replied honestly, making her let out a brash, loud laugh that made both him and his horse jump slightly.

"It's the only thing about me that is beautiful."

After another awkward silence, King Toya spoke once more, "Sir Syaoran is a very good man; he will treat you well." A heartbeat. "he was in love once."

"What happened?"

"They never married. It was my fault. The girl...was my sister. She was a special girl, magical, she could make living things grow and even control the elements. I kept them apart. He was but a simple boy from a local village who fought well enough to become a Knight. I kept finding him undeserving of someone as special as her, even though she loved him as much as he loved her.

"One day, when she was in a village helping the people grow their crops, they were attacked by wizards from the west. She and much of the village were killed. There was nothing left there but blood and body parts. I found them and their leader and I killed them all. But I never forgave myself, even though Sir Syaoran did forgive me. Only since her death do I see his worth." He looked at her, "I am telling you this so you understand him before you marry him. So that you understand his pain."

"I understand good King," she returned softly, "I understand..."

When they arrived at the Castle, Sir Syaoran walked up to her and courteously helped her from her steed. He kissed her hand without shuddering at her dirty, wrinkled flesh. Without any reluctance he said to her, "god woman, I swear as you husband that I will forever take the best care of you."

"God have mercy!" Cried Dame Ayana, "For your sake, I wish I were a fair woman, for you have such good will."

All the ladies of the court and the knights were in great sorrow for Sir Syaoran, for his bride was so very ugly. And she insisted that the wedding take place at once. Nor was she to be put off with a quiet little wedding, but insisted upon a high mass and a banquet in the open hall with everybody there. At the banquet, she gobbled up all the meat!

That night, in bed, Syaoran could not at first bring himself to turn and face her unappetizing snout. After a time, she said to him: "Ah, Sir Syaoran, since I have wed you, show me your courtesy in bed. It may not be rightfully denied. If I were fair, say with big green eyes and light brown hair, you would not behave this way; you are taking no heed of wedlock. For Toya's sake do kiss me at least; I pray you, do this at my request. Come, let us see how quick you can be!"

Syaoran collected every bit of his courage and kindness. "I will do more," he said in all gentleness, "I will do more that simply kiss, before God!" And he turned around to her and gasped. The hideous creature had changed. Now she had long, blonde hair a curvy body and large crystal blue eyes.

She asked, "What is it?"

"What's going on?" Syaoran cried, not understand. He sat up in bed, "how did this happen? You have changed. You are beautiful now." He did not mention that she still was not as beautiful as his old love.

She smiled and sat up. "I am a girl put under a curse. I couldn't tell anyone unless they agreed to make love to me even if I was hideous."

"How terrible! Is the curse lifted?"

She smiled softly, "no, my beauty will not hold. You may have me like this, but only for half the day. And so you must choose whether you would have me fair at night and foul by day before all men's eyes, or beautiful by day and foul at night."

Syaoran looked down sadly, "what a terrible curse. I am very sorry for you Alana! To not look as you truly are at any time is unfair. But I must say," he looked up at her, "it seems strange that you ask me."

She shrugged. "You are my husband now. You choose how I look."

He shook his head vigorously feeling angry on her behalf, "no, you are your own person. It's bad enough that you have been cursed, but you should not have to have someone dictate how you should look or live. What is it that you want?"

As soon as he finished asking the question, Alana grinned beautifully and flung her arms around him kissing his neck and crying, "thank you, thank you or Syaoran, I missed you so much!"

Before he could ask what she meant there was a blinding golden light that forced him to close his eyes. He could feel the soft, light touches of feathers all around him. Sure enough, when the light dimmed enough for him to reopen his eyes he saw that white feathers with strange black patterns on them, had covered the entire room. Alana had changed once more, he could feel that she was much slimmer and he hair was short. He pushed her away and almost choked on shock. In his arms was his true love, Princess Sakura!

"S-Sakura?" Holding back tears he hugged her quickly before pushing her away again. "Are you real?" He rushed, "how can this be, I do not understand?"

"It is me Syaoran! Back, long ago, in the village, I was cursed by the wizards. They did it under the command of a man who called himself Gromer Somer Joure. They wanted to kill me, but my power was too strong. So they reversed it, instead of me using my magic to create beauty and life around me, they turned it so that it caused ugliness and death within me. I was basically rotting away. Luckily, Yuko the witch found me and saved me. The price of not being a rotting corpse was that I could not tell anyone of the true nature of my curse until I was fully recovered from it."

Together, they lay down in the bed as Syaoran took in the wealth of information. "And so, finally," he asked, "why did Yuko agree to help you? And who is this Gromer?"

"Yuko told me that Gromer was a reincarnation of one of her eternal enemies, known to her as Fei Wong Reed. One thing that remains is his evil lust for power. He ruled the western wizards, but was jealous of the powers I have and that my father and now my brother did not use them to help him and his various plans."

The following morning, the entire castle celebrated the return of their princess. Toya was able to tell them that a Fei Reed had indeed pestered their father, and even him in the early years for Sakura's power but they would not hand her over.

"I killed Reed," Toya said, whilst holding tight to his sister's hand, "so that Gromer must have been his angry spirit. Or a part if it anyway."

"This is all thanks to the witch," smiled Tomoyo, "tell us, King Toya, what did Yuko tell you to say which vanquished the Knight Reed?"

Toya smiled, "the answer to what all women want; sovereignty, the ability and allowance to make their own decisions."

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**AN- This is a real myth, but it's about Sir Gawain, Dame Ragnell and King Arthur. Ayana is the African word for 'Blossom'. I hope you liked the story. Please review and please feel free the critique.**

**Thank you.**


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